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The answer, for a few good reasons, is Florida.
But we’ll circle back to that in a minute.
Michael Bratton posed an interesting question to Twitter on Friday morning: What is the one must-win game next season for each team in the SEC East?
Bratton and his podcasting co-host Shane went through all seven SEC East teams and picked the biggest must win-game for each team. Tennessee only showed up once on the opposition’s list, with Shane picking the Vols as Kentucky’s biggest must-win game. Both Tennessee and Kentucky are heading on an uphill trajectory, but the Vols came away with the first game of the rivalry during the Heupel era last year in Lexington. If Mark Stoops loses in Knoxville coming up this year, the scales are tipped in Tennessee’s favor.
So now looking at Tennessee. What’s the must-win game for the Vols in year two of the Josh Heupel era? The answer is Florida. It was Michael and Shane’s answer too, and it’s also the correct answer.
Florida has beaten Tennessee in 16 of their last 17 meetings, including a current streak of five straight games. The Gators’ season crumbled last year to the tune of 6-7 including six losses in conference play. The issue for Tennessee, though, was that it all came after the two teams squared off in the fourth week of the season. Florida beat Tennessee at home last year by a score of 38-14. The Gators worked Tennessee in the half, outscoring the Vols 21-0.
After that game in Gainesville, Florida went on to lose six of their final nine games while Tennessee went on to win five of their last nine games. In addition, Florida eventually fired Dan Mullen as momentum continues to build in Knoxville.
The game is a must-win because Tennessee needs to finally land a clean punch. The Vols did have a triumphant win in Knoxville in 2016, but it didn’t lead to anything. The table has been cleared with Heupel going into his second year and Florida now starting the Billy Napier era in town. Tennessee and Heupel setting the tone early into this new era at Florida would be a huge step in the right direction for the Vols.
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There’s no question that Florida has owned the past, but there’s also no question that two new coaching staffs are in the early stages of their tenures, too. Landing a knock-down punch here in the first round of this new era would be huge for Tennessee. Not to mention, the game is in Knoxville.
Even though Tennessee has a lot of firepower going into next year, Georgia is still in a different class, especially as the reigning national champions. Taking down Georgia as the champions of the east is something that Tennessee itself has its eyes on, but as we know, isn’t necessarily the most realistic goal for the Vols. That’s why Georgia isn’t the Vols’ must-win game.
The more realistic and achievable goal for Tennessee would be to take down the rest of the east. Kentucky is going to provide Tennessee with a tough game and South Carolina is a team on the rise like the Vols. But Tennessee should continue to beat the likes of Missouri, Vanderbilt, and South Carolina. That leaves Kentucky, who Tennessee beat last year, and Florida.
The SEC East runner-up is fully up for grabs. Kentucky took home that spot last year while Tennessee finished in third. While the Florida game may not be the game that decides where Tennessee will finish in the standings, its importance can’t be understated. A win would allow Tennessee to finally move forward in a new direction and close the door on many of the past moments that have haunted the program.
Kentucky comes in a very close second because that game will likely be more valuable in terms of the SEC East standings. In fact, Kentucky presents a fair amount of reasons why they should be Tennessee’s biggest game next year. There will likely be more on the line for that game, and many are picking Kentucky ahead of Tennessee in early predictions.
But Tennessee’s must-win game next year? The answer is Florida to set a new tone moving forward.
Tennessee will host Florida in Knoxville on Sept. 22, 2022.
What’s your take on Tennessee’s must-win game next year? Answer in the comments below!
One Response
I agree, it has to be the gators.